UMTS Applied Radio Planning

P025

Course Objectives

▪ Understand the key planning parameters of the UTRAN

▪ Produce UMTS Link Budgets for various services

▪ Understand UMTS Coverage and its KPI’s

▪ Understand Capacity dimensioning in UMTS

▪ Appreciate the Coverage/Capacity relationship in UMTS

▪ Evaluate GSM-UMTS Co-location issues

 1- The UMTS Air Interface

The UMTS Air Interface

UMTS
▪ Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

▪ Also called “3G”, along with other IMT-2000 technologies

▪ The evolution from GSM-GPRS-EDGE

▪ WCDMA technology, part of the CDMA family

 The UMTS Air Interface

1.1- WCDMA, Processing Gain and Codes

The UMTS Air Interface

CDMA - Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

Frame Period (we may still need

frames/timeslots for signaling)
 The UMTS Air Interface

CDMA Spreading
•Essentially Spreading involves changing the symbol rate on the air interface

Spreading Despreading
P P
Channel
f f

P
Tx Bit Stream P P Rx Bit Stream
f
f Air Interface f
Chip Stream

Identical
codes
Code Chip Stream Code Chip Stream

The UMTS Air Interface

Spreading and Despreading

1
Tx Bit Stream
-1
Spreading X
Code Chip Stream

Air Interface
Chip Stream
Despreading X
Code Chip Stream

Rx Bit Stream
 The UMTS Air Interface

Spreading and Despreading with code Y

1
Tx Bit Stream
-1
Spreading X
Code Chip Stream

Air Interface
Chip Stream
Despreading X
Code Chip Stream Y

Rx Bit Stream

The UMTS Air Interface

Interference mitigation
Rx Signal (= Tx Signal + Noise)
Tx Signal
P P
f f
P P
Channel
f f

Signal Spreading Code P Spreading Code Signal

Wideband Noise/Interference
▪ The gain due to Despreading of the signal over wideband
noise is the Processing Gain
 The UMTS Air Interface

Processing Gain
▪ If the Bit Rate is Rb, the Chip Rate is Rc, the energy per bit Eb and the
energy per chip Ec then

Rc
Eb = Ec ×
Rb
Rc
Gp =
▪ We say the Processing Gain Gp is equal to: Rb

▪ Commonly the processing gain is referred to as the Spreading Factor

The UMTS Air Interface

Visualising the Processing Gain

W/Hz W/Hz W/Hz

Ec
Before After
Spreading Spreading With Noise Io
f f f

W/Hz Eb
W/Hz dBW/Hz
After Post Eb/No
Despreading Filtering Eb
/Correlation Orthog = 0 No No
f f f
Signal
W/Hz dBW/Hz
Eb
Intra-cell Noise Post
Eb
Eb/No
Filtering
Inter-cell Noise Orthog > 0 No No
f f
 The UMTS Air Interface

Types of Codes
▪ Channelisation Codes
▪Are used to separate channels
from a single cell or terminal S2
C1 C2 C3

▪ Scrambling Codes
▪Are used to separate cells and
terminals from each other rather S1
than purely channels C1 C2 C3

▪ Different base stations will use

the same spreading codes with
separation being provided by the
use of different scrambling S3
codes. C1 C2 C3

The UMTS Air Interface

Channelisation Codes

▪ Channelisation codes are orthogonal and hence provide

channel separation

▪ Number of codes available is dependant on length of code

▪ Channelisation codes are used to spread the signal

 The UMTS Air Interface

Channelisation Code Generation

▪ Channelisation codes can be generated from a Hadamard
matrix x x 
▪ A Hadamard matrix is:  
 x − x

▪ Where x is a Hadamard matrix of the previous level

▪ For example 4 chip codes are:

▫ 1,1,1,1 Note: These two codes correlate if
▫ 1,-1,1,-1 they are time shifted

▫ 1,1,-1,-1
▫ 1,-1,-1,1

The UMTS Air Interface

OVSF codes
▪ Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor Codes can be defined by
a code tree:
Cch,4,0 =(1,1,1,1)
Cch,2,0 = (1,1)
Cch,4,1 = (1,1,-1,-1)
Cch,1,0 = (1)
Cch,4,2 = (1,-1,1,-1)
Cch,2,1 = (1,-1)
Cch,4,3 = (1,-1,-1,1)

SF = 1 SF = 2 SF = 4

SF = Spreading Factor of code (maximum 512 for UMTS)

 The UMTS Air Interface

Code Usage Efficiency

▪ Any codes further down the trunk of▪ By filling up branches of the code
a branch in use cannot be used tree before starting new branches
▪ Any codes further out from the
a greater capacity can be
branch in use cannot be reused achieved
▪ Multiple code trees can be used
from a cell but at an increased
level of interference between
C ch,4,0 =(1,1,1,1)
IN USE channels
C ch,2,0 = (1,1)
C =(1,1,1,1)
C ch,2,0 = (1,1)
IN USE
ch,4,0

C ch,4,1 = (1,1,-1,-1)
C ch,4,1 = (1,1,-1,-1)
C ch,1,0 = (1)
C ch,1,0 = (1)
IN USE
C ch,4,2 = (1,-1,1,-1)
C ch,4,2 = (1,-1,1,-1)
C ch,2,1 = (1,-
1) C ch,2,1 = (1,-
C ch,4,3 = (1,-1,-1,1)
1)
IN USE C ch,4,3 = (1,-1,-1,1)

SF = 1 SF = 2 SF = 4
SF = 1 SF = 2 SF = 4

The UMTS Air Interface

Scrambling Codes
▪ The spread data symbols are then scrambled by multiplying
with a complex scrambling sequence

▪ Scrambling codes do not affect the chip rate

▪ The scrambling code is specific for a cell and thus serves to

provide isolation between signals from adjacent cells

▪ There are 512 Scrambling Codes in the DL which can be

allocated by Radio Planners
 The UMTS Air Interface

1.2- Ec/Io, Eb/No, NR and Loading

The UMTS Air Interface

Interference and Noise Densities

▪ From the point of view of a UE, every other UE’s power
appears as Interference

▪ Io is the Interference Density

▪ No is the Interference + Noise Density

▪ In general, when you talk about chips, or “Ec”, you use Io.
When you talk about bits, or “Eb”, you use No.

▪ “No” considers Thermal Noise at the NodeB

 The UMTS Air Interface

Ec/Io
▪ Ec/Io is the Chip Energy we obtain in the presence of the
Interference generated by all other users

▪ Ec/Io of the Pilot Channel is used to:

▫ Estimate (“sound”) the channel (multipath characteristics)
▫ Decide which server is “best server”
▫ Make handover decisions
▫ Typical requirement -15 dB

The UMTS Air Interface

Eb/No
▪ Eb/No is the Bit Energy we obtain after despreading in the
presence of the Noise generated by all other users and the
Noise from NodeB equipment

▪ There’s a different Eb/No requirement for UL and DL:

▫ Typical requirement 1 to 10 dB
▫ Requirement varies by Bearer, Service, Multipath Profile,
Mobile Speed, and Type of Receiver.
 The UMTS Air Interface

Noise Rise
▪ The effective noise floor of the receiver increases as the
number of active mobile terminals increases.
▪ This rise in the noise level appears in the link budget and
limits maximum path loss and coverage range.

Three Users

Two Users

One User
Background Noise

The UMTS Air Interface

Effect of Neighbouring Cells

Users in other cells cause interference.

Typical ratio of power from other cells to power from

own cell, i, is 0.6 (Urban Macrocells)
 The UMTS Air Interface

The Noise Rise Equation

I total 1 1 1
= j =M
= Lj =
PN 1 − ηUL N W
1− ∑ L j 1 +  0 
j =1  Eb  R j

j =M M
If we have M identical users: ∑ Lj =
j =1 N W
1 +  0 
 Eb  R j

I total 1
Noise Rise = =
PN M
1−
N W
1 +  0 
 Eb  R j

The UMTS Air Interface

Noise Rise and Loading Factor

▪ Capacity is linked to Eb/No value

▪ Maximum Path Loss tolerated is linked to maximum NR

Noise Rise Loading Factor

1 dB 20%
3 dB 50%
6 dB 75%
10 dB 90%
Noise Rise = −10 log10 (1 − ηUL )
 The UMTS Air Interface

Loading Factor

Actual Throughput
Loading Factor =
Pole Capacity
For M identical users with data rate R :
MvR
Loading Factor =
W
 Eb (1 + i )
 N 
 0

 Eb  M (1 + i )v
 N 
= 0
W
R

The UMTS Air Interface

UL Pole Capacity
For large number of users
W
Pole Capacity ≈
E 
 b (1 + i )
 N0 

W = 3840000 Eb/No = 3 i = 0.5

3840000
Pole Capacity ≈ = 853 kbps
(3)(1 + 0.5)
• 50% of this would give a Noise Rise of 3 dB.

•50% of 853 kbps = 426 kbps

 The UMTS Air Interface

DL Pole Capacity
The Downlink benefits from orthogonality between channelisation codes.

W
Pole Capacity ≈
 Eb 
 (1 − α + i )
 N0 

α is orthogonality factor and has a value between zero and 1.

The UMTS Air Interface

1.3- Power Control and Handovers

 The UMTS Air Interface

Power Control and Near/Far Effect

▪ When a UE is near the NodeB it doesn’t need much power to
reach it

▪ In the same manner, if a UE is far away it needs greater power to

communicate with the NodeB

▪ Power Control is needed in the UL because a single over-

powered mobile could block a Cell

▪ Power Control is also needed in the DL to provide far away users

with enough power and to keep power low for near-by UEs

The UMTS Air Interface

Soft and Softer Handover

▪ In UMTS it is possible to have a UE connected to more than 1
NodeB. This is called Soft Handover

▪ When in Soft Handover, the RNC can combine the best signals
from the NodeB’s, hence providing a Soft Handover Gain

▪ Softer Handover applies when the mobile is being served by

two cells on the same site. A Softer Handover gain also occurs.

▪ However, too many mobiles in Soft or Softer Handover could

impose a significant Overhead on the system
 The UMTS Air Interface

Active Set and Pilot Pollution

▪ The Cells with which the UE is communicating form the UE’s
Active Set

▪ This Active Set is made typically of 3 cells/pilot signals

▪ Any Pilot which is not a member of a UE’s Active Set and

exceeds a certain threshold (typ. Ec/Io>-15dB) is considered a
Polluter

▪ Pilot Pollution is a common WCDMA issue that needs to be

sorted immediately

The UMTS Air Interface

Summary of Key Concepts

▪ Processing Gain
▪ Channelisation and Scrambling Codes
▪ Ec/Io
▪ Eb/No
▪ Noise Rise
▪ Cell Loading
▪ Pole Capacity
▪ Near/Far Effect
▪ Soft and Softer Handover Gain
 The UMTS Air Interface

Summary of Key Formulas

▪ Eb/No

Eb
(dB ) = Ec + G p
N0 I0

▪ Pole Capacity

W W
UL Pole Capacity ≈ DL Pole Capacity ≈
 Eb   Eb 
 (1 + i )  (1 − α + i )
N N
 0
 0

2- The UMTS Link Budget

 The UMTS Link Budget

UMTS Link Budget vs. GSM’s

▪ Interference Margin for Noise Rise

▪ Target Eb/no

▪ Processing Gain (dBs) in UMTS

= 10 log (3840000/User Rate (bps))

▪ Power Control margin

▪ Handover Gains

The UMTS Link Budget

Interference Margin
▪ An admission control parameter. Same as “Noise Rise Limit”

▪ Puts a limit to how many users can be taken in the UL

▪ Has an associated Loading Factor:

▫ NR= 3dB, Load Factor=50%

▫ NR=6dB, Load Factor=75%

 The UMTS Link Budget

Target Eb/No
▪ UMTS Link Budgets are made for Bearers

▪ A UMTS service may use one or more Bearers, with each

Bearer having a QoS Eb/No requirement

▪ A typical Voice Bearer requires an Eb/No of 5dB

▪ A typical 128 kbps Bearer requires and Eb/No of about 2dB

The UMTS Link Budget

Processing Gain
▪ Depends on the bitrate of the Bearer

▪ Helps with the required Ec/Io at the receiver

▪ For a 12.2 kbps voice Bearer, Gp = 25dB

▪ For a 128 kbps data Bearer, Gp= 15dB

 The UMTS Link Budget

Power Control (Fast Fading) Margin

▪ It’s entered to allow for adequate Power Control to compensate
for Fast Fading

▪ It’s dependent on the Speed Profile of the Mobile

▪ At higher speeds, its smaller as the network cannot effectively

compensate for Fast Fading

The UMTS Link Budget

Handover Gains
▪ If a UE is in Soft or Softer Handover, this will provide Diversity
Gains

▪ These gains can help the Link Budget by helping in achieving

the Target Eb/No with less power

▪ This gain is dependent on the Delta on the Ec/Io of the involved

paths
 The UMTS Link Budget

UL Link Budget

▪ Because UL power is lower than DL power coverage is

“UL limited”.

▪ Initially, most attention is paid to the UL budget.

The UMTS Link Budget

-120 dBm Receiver Sensitivity

▪ Typical noise floor of cell receiver is -104 dBm.

▪ Considering full rate voice (12.2 kbps) processing gain is 25 dB.

▪ If target Eb/No is 5 dB and allowed Noise Rise is 4 dB then:

▫ UE must be capable of delivering (-104-25+5+4)= -120 dBm for

a successful connection.

▫ -120 dBm is effectively the receiver sensitivity for 12.2k voice.

▫ For a 128kbps service, the Rec. Sensitivity is around -110dBm

 The UMTS Link Budget

UL Link Budget - voice

▪ If the UE can transmit at powers up to +21 dBm, the maximum
link loss is: 21 - (-120) = 141 dB.

▪ The maximum air interface path loss can be calculated by

considering antenna gains and miscellaneous losses (e.g.
feeder loss, body loss)

▪ If antenna gain = 17 dBi and losses = 4 dB, then maximum path

loss = 141 + 17 - 4 = 154 dB

▪ Note: margins not considered (e.g. shadow fading, building

penetration loss). These could total 24 dB.

The UMTS Link Budget

Link Budget - voice

Noise Floor -104 dBm

Noise Rise Limit 4 dB
Processing Gain 25 dB
Target Eb/No 5 dB
Receiver Sensitivity -120 dBm
UE Tx Power +21 dBm
Maximum Link Loss 141 dB
Antenna Gain 17 dBi
Feeder loss 3 dB
Body loss 1 dB
Maximum path loss 154 dB
Margins 24 dB
Target path loss 130 dB
 The UMTS Link Budget

UL Link Budget - VT
▪ UMTS is introduced to offer higher level services such as video
telephony (VT).

▪ VT will typically operate at 64 kbit/s.

▫ Processing gain = 17.8 dB

▪ If all other parameters remain the same, then the maximum

path loss will be 154 - 25 + 17.8 = 146.8 dB.

▪ Different service:- different range.

▪ Typically range for voice = 1.6 x range for VT

The UMTS Link Budget

UL Link Budget- 128 kbps

Thermal Noise: -104 dBm, Noise Figure: 4 dB, Eb/No: 1.5 dB

Processing Gain: 15 dB (10 log[3840/128])

Receiver Sensitivity -113.5 dBm

Max Link Loss = 21 dBm -(-113.5 dBm) = 134.5

Antenna Gains: 20 dBi Feeder Loss: 3dB Body Loss: 0dB

Maximum Path Loss: 151.5 dB

 The UMTS Link Budget

DL Link Budget- 128 kbps

Allowable Path Loss: 151.5 dB
Receiver Sensitivity -113.5 dBm
Required Tx Power: 24 dBm per channel
Eb/No= 1.5 dB, which in linear is 10^(1.5/10)= 1.41
i = 0.5 1+i = 1.5

3.84 x103
DL Pole Capacity = = 3Mbps
(1.41)(1 + 0.5 − 0.6)
For 50% loading capacity = 1.5Mbps or 11- 128kbps channels
11 channels @ 24 dBm = 34.4 dBm

The UMTS Link Budget

Conclusions
▪ Eb/No and capacity intimately linked.

▪ Link budgets are affected by fast fading and interference margins.

▪ Uplink and downlink affected differently by increased loading.

▪ Flexibility allows high data rate services to be provided.

▪ Asymmetric traffic requirements can be designed in.

 3- Coverage Planning

Coverage Planning

Coverage Objectives
▪ Achieve Minimum Pilot Coverage on Service Area

▪ Minimum Coverage dependant on:

▫ ALP
▫ Services to be provided
▫ Loading

▪ KPI’s
▫ RSCP (Ec)
▫ RSS (Io)
▫ Ec/Io
▫ Pilot Pollution (Scrambling Code overlapping)
 Coverage Planning

Factors affecting Coverage

▪ ALP is a function of:
▫ Clutter Type
▫ Shadow Fading Margin

▪ Services:
▫ The higher the bitrate the lower the coverage
▫ Different Eb/No requirements

▪ Loading:
▫ The higher the loading the lower the coverage
▫ Loading factor tied to Noise Rise Limit

Coverage Planning

3.1 Network Dimensioning

 Coverage Planning

Dimensioning Inputs

Environment

Site
Service Configuration

Demographic Geographic

Coverage Planning

Simple Coverage
▪ Link Budget based
Create Link Budget
▫ i.e. simple numerical calculation
Max PL

▪ Firstly a link budget is created

Calculate Range

▪ The maximum path loss is used to calculate the Max Range

cell range using a propagation model

Calculate Site Area

▪ The cell range is used to calculate the site area Max Area

Calculate Number of
Sites in a given Area
▪ Site Numbers = (Total Area)/(Site Area)
 Coverage Planning

Shadow Fading and Building Penetration

▪ Building Penetration
P(connect)
▫ Mean and standard deviation per environment
50% 75%
▪ Shadow Fading
▫ Typically calculated using ‘Jakes’
1  1 − 2ab   1 − ab  
Fu = 1 − erf (a ) + exp 2 1 − erf    0 x0 - α
2  b   b  
(x0 − α )  e 
Where: a = ; b = 10n log10   P(connect)
σ 2 σ 2  76% 90%

x0-α = Fade Margin

σ = Standard Deviation of Model Point Location Probability
n = Propagation Model Exponent
Area Location Probability
5.6
x0 - α

▫ This assumes an isolated omni directional site…

Coverage Planning

Environment Distribution

▪ Spreadsheets don’t deal

with topology or
morphology accurately
▫ Hills, parks and distributed
target areas
▫ Interference and traffic
captured by sites will vary

▪ Margins for site acquisition

and overlap are required Suburban Site Numbers?
Area
Urban Area Site Numbers
 Coverage Planning

3.2 Planning using Software Tools

Coverage Planning

Pilot Power as an Indicator

If pilot power is 33 dBm, the pilot
strength on the ground is an
indicator of link loss.
113 dB loss: -80 dBm pilot
120 dB loss: -87 dBm pilot

Popular indicator as drive test

•> -80 dBm
measurements report on pilot
strength.
•> -87 dBm
 Coverage Planning

Pilot Power as an Indicator -

issues
▪ Pilot powers not necessarily equal
deployment of MHA at selected sites
will alter target pilot values.
▪ Even if MHAs are universally
deployed, their effect will depend on
feeder loss.
▪ Generally, MHAs have a different
•> -80 dBm
effect on UL to DL, therefore DL
measurement not a reliable indicator of
UL performance. •> -87 dBm

Coverage Planning

Letting the tool do the work

▪ It is possible to define:
▫The UE: in particular Tx Power

▫The bearer: bit rate and Eb/No.

▫Cell receiver: noise floor; noise

rise; feeder loss; MHA
characteristics.
•VT coverage achieved
▫Margins required.

▪ This allows maximum path loss to

•Voice coverage achieved
each cell to be determined and UL
coverage to be calculated directly.
 Coverage Planning

Assessing Interference with a

Static Analyser - Ec/Io
▪ Pilot Ec/Io indicates pilot
power as a ratio of total
wideband power (including
the pilot itself).
▪ Not terribly “scientific” but
it corresponds directly to
measurement reported by
the UE in drive tests.

Coverage Planning

Assessing Interference with a Static

Analyser - Pilot SIR
▪ Pilot SIR gives the quality of
the pilot.
▫ Effect of orthogonality
on own-cell interference
is considered.
▫ Pilot power not
considered as
interference.
▪ Pilot SIR is always better
than Ec/Io.
 Coverage Planning

3.3 Overcoming Coverage Problems

Coverage Planning

Limiting mutual interference

• Downtilt antennas.
• Consider mounting antennas on the
side of buildings.
 Coverage Planning

Limiting mutual interference

6ºElec 0ºMech
0º 0º 0º
6º
6º

0ºElec 6ºMech -6º

6º
6ºElec -6ºMech
6º
0º 0º 0º
0º

6º 12º

Controlling the backlobe can produce a small

but significant improvement in capacity.

Coverage Planning

Limiting mutual interference

• Key parameter: Frequency Re-use Efficiency (FRE).

N Intra
FRE =
N Intra + N Inter
N Intra is the intra - cell interference (W)
N Inter is the inter - cell interference (W)
 Coverage Planning

Mast Head Amplifiers (TMA’s)

▪ Used to lower the Noise Figure of the receiver
▪ Can “offset” feeder losses
▪ MHA used to increase coverage range
▪ Typ. 1.6 dB Noise Figure (NF)
▪ Typ. Gain of 12dB (adjustable)

▪ Increase uplink capacity

▪ Adds Insertion loss on DL (~ 1.3 dB)

DC
Bias-
Bias-T
Ant

by pass
TMA

Coverage Planning

Uplink Receive Space Diversity

▪ Common to have two receive antennas per sector at the base station.

▪ Even if highly correlated, coherent combination should yield ~3 dB

improvement.

▪ In practice a gain of 4 dB or more is expected from antennas spaced 2-3

m apart. Receive
antenna 2

Receive
antenna 1
 Coverage Planning

Uplink Receive Space Diversity

▪ This is not “conventional” space diversity.

▪ Each antenna is connected to a separate finger of the Rake receiver.

▪ This is possible due to the synchronisation and channel estimation

derived from the Pilot channel.
▪ Thus Eb/No is improved, rather than simply an effective power gain.

▪ Very low individual Eb/No will probably mean a very low pilot level
which will lead to poor coherence and little gain - process becomes
“self-defeating”.

Coverage Planning

3.4 Coverage in the Real World

 Coverage Planning

Typical vendor values

▪ Pilot Power = 5-10% of Total Power (30-35 dBm)

▪ Control Channel Powers = 3-5 dB below Pilot (27-33 dBm)

▫ CCPCH’s

▪ Other signalling Channels = 3-5 dB below Pilot (27-33 dBm)

▫ PICH, AICH, SCH’s

▪ Summary: Total Non-Traffic Channels = 20-25% of total power

Coverage Planning

Some additional constraints

▪ GSM existing coverage

▪ GSM legacy sites

▪ Antenna limitations: height, azimuths, etc.

 4- Capacity Planning

Capacity Planning

Capacity Objectives
▪ Manage effectively predicted Load on Service Area

▪ Capacity dependant on:

▫ Number of users
▫ Position of users relative to the cell
▫ Services demanded
▫ UE Power Control

▪ KPI’s
▫ Cell UL Load Factor
▫ Cell DL Power
 Capacity Planning

Factors affecting Capacity

▪ Number of Users: The more users the more noise

▪ Position of Users: The farther away, the more noise

▪ Services demanded: The more high-bitrate users on the cell, the

less overall number of users possible

▪ UE Power Control: Imperfect power control will account for more

noise in the network

Capacity Planning

Soft and Hard Capacity

▪ Hard Capacity: Hard limit imposed by actual channel elements

▪ Typ. 16 Kbps Channel elements. Also called “Resources” or

“Cards”

▪ Soft Capacity: Variable, depending on Network loading

 Capacity Planning

UL Pole Capacity

▪ Capacity is typically limited on the UL

▪ This is because, in the UL we don’t have Orthogonality to help us

W
UL Pole Capacity ≈
 Eb 
 (1 + i )
N
 0

Capacity Planning

UL Pole Capacity Exercise- Voice

▪ If we assume a service with Eb/No = 6dB and i = 0.8

▪ Eb/No= 4 (linear) UL Pole Capacity= 533 kbps

▪ If you consider 12.2 kbps Voice bearers:

▫ 533/12.2 = 43.7 Voice Trunks

▪ Adding a typ. Voice activity factor (+overhead) of 58%

▪ New number of voice trunks is 533/(12.2x0.58) = 75.3

 Capacity Planning

UL Pole Capacity Exercise- Voice

▪ A typical UMTS Cell can handle about 40E of Voice services

▪ With 75.3E being 100% capacity, 40E = 53% Loading

▪ Noise Rise= -10log (1-0.53) = 3.2dB

▪ Typically, 25% of this capacity will be allocated to Soft Handover

Capacity Planning

UL Pole Capacity Exercise- VT

▪ If we assume a service with Eb/No = 3dB and i = 0.8

▪ Eb/No= 2 (linear) UL Pole Capacity= 1066 kbps

▪ If you consider 64 kbps VT bearers with 100% activity factors:

▫ 1066/64 = 16.6 Voice Trunks

▪ Comparing bitrates: 64kbps/7.1kbps = 9 (7.1= 12.2x0.58)

▪ Comparing trunks: 75.3/16.6 = 4.5
▪ Difference is due to different Eb/No’s 3dB (VT) vs 6dB (voice)
 Capacity Planning

4.1 Multi-Services Capacity and

Capacity Dimensioning

Capacity Planning

Multi-Service Capacity
Eb/No Activity Factors

▪ Voice= 5.6dB@12.2kbps ▪ 58%

▪ VT= 3.8dB@64kbps ▪ 100%
▪ 128PS= 2.8dB@128kbps ▪ 100%

dB vs Linear Bitrate Ratios relative to voice

▪ 5.6dB= 3.6 ▪ (1x) 7.1 kbps

▪ 3.8dB= 2.4 ▪ (9x) 64 kbps
▪ 2.8dB= 1.9 ▪ (18x) 128 kbps
 Capacity Planning

Campbell’s Spreadsheet
CS CS PS PS PS

Bearers (kbps) 12.2 64 64 128 384

CS user per cell 30 3 Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable

PS Capture Data (Mbytes/hour) Not Applicable Not Applicable 0 0 0

Activity factor 58.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

Average rate (kbps) 7.1 64.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Eb/No 6 3 2 1.2 1.8

Eb/No ratio 3.98 2.00 1.58 1.32 1.51

Relative Ratio 1 0.50 0.40 0.33 0.38

Equivalent data rate (voice) 212.28 192 0.00 0.00 0.00

Factor for i 0.8

Reference Pole Capacity (kbps) 536

Loading of Cell 75.4%

UL Noise Rise (Loading) 6.10

Capacity Planning

Traffic Exercise

▪ Manchester pop. = 2.2 Million

▪ Mobile penetration@80% = 1.76 Million
▪ For an operator with 25% market share = 440K Subs

▪ With an avg voice traffic of 35mE per users = 15,400 Erlangs

▪ Considering 30E per cell = 513 Cells or 171 Sites

▪ This with 52% loading and 2% GOS

 Capacity Planning

Simple Capacity Dimensioning

▪ Capacity calculation based Calculate Carrier
Capacity

▪ Calculate maximum capacity

per carrier Calculate Sector
Offered Traffic

▪ Calculate maximum offered

traffic per sector Calculate Maximum
Site Area

▪ Calculate site area based on

traffic density Calculate Number of
Sites in a Given
Area

▪ Calculate the maximum number

of sites in an area

Capacity Planning

Other Dimensioning Factors

▪ GSM/UMTS Interaction
▫ Proportion a percentage of voice traffic to GSM
▫ Don’t assume that UMTS carries all of the traffic

▪ Microcells
▫ Offer capacity relief to macrocells
▫ This allows macrocells to be larger, potentially with a lower loading

▪ Repeaters
▫ Extend the coverage of macrocells at a lower cost than adding a new
Node-B
 Capacity Planning

“2G” analysis

▪ Coverage thresholds can be set for various services and

coverage examined in a similar manner to that for GSM
systems

▪ Traffic captured by cells for GSM traffic can be

interpreted as cell loading for UMTS systems.

Capacity Planning

4.2 Analysis of DL Capacity

 Capacity Planning

DL Pole Capacity

W
DL Pole Capacity ≈
 Eb 
  (1 − α + i )
 N0 

▫ The Downlink must be able to match uplink capacity

▫ If i=0.6 and Eb/No is 6 dB; pole capacity is 960kbps.

▫ At 50% loading UL capacity is 480 kbps (39 voice).

Capacity Planning

Further Analysis of the Downlink

▫ Minimum Rx power (25 dB processing gain, 3 dB Noise

figure) = -104 + 3 + 6 - 25 = -120 dBm

▫ If maximum Tx power is 21 dBm, then 141 dB link loss can

be tolerated. Can DL support this?

▫ For every user that’s “allowed” in the UL, the Cell will have to
provide enough power to support it on the DL
 Capacity Planning

4.3 Traffic Planning

Capacity Planning

Traffic Density
▪ Traffic Density is forecast in terms of a density in terms of Erlangs per
square kilometre.
▪ Different forecasts are given for different clutter categories.
▪ Knowing the clutter categories in the required service areas allows traffic
to be simulated.

Traffic Density Weightings

1
Clutter Category 1: 10
4 2
Clutter Category 2: 50
3 Clutter Category 3: 30
Clutter Category 4: 10
 Capacity Planning

Density versus Numbers

▪ It is important to realise that the weightings are in terms of terminal
densities.
▪ Sometimes the clutter category with the highest weighting occupies a small
percentage of the area.

1 Area Weightings Weighting of Actual

3 Traffic per Category
2 Clutter Category 1: 28
4 Clutter Category 2: 16 Clutter Category 1: 12.7
3
Clutter Category 3: 28 Clutter Category 2: 36.4
Clutter Category 4: 28 Clutter Category 3: 38.2
Clutter Category 4: 12.7

▪ Notice that the actual traffic volume per category differs from the traffic
density. Traffic density is the parameter entered in the simulation tool.

4.4 Capacity Plots

 Capacity Planning

Coverage vs. Capacity

Coverage vs. Capacity

170.00
Maximum Pathloss (dB)

165.00

160.00 Uplink
155.00 Dow nlink

150.00

145.00
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Throughput (k bps )

Capacity Planning

Link Loss vs. Capacity

1200
Capacity (kbit/s)

1000
800
600
400
200
0
120 130 140 150 160
Link Loss (dB)

+37 dBm +40 dBm +43 dBm +46 dBm

 Capacity Planning

Orthogonality vs. Capacity

1200
1000
Capacity (kbit/s)

800
600
400
200
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Orthogonality

BTS Power: 37 dBm 40 dBm 43 dBm 46 dBm

Capacity Planning

Out of Cell Interf. vs. Capacity

1400
1200
Capacity (kbit/s)

1000
800
600
400
200
0
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
Out of Cell Interference

BTS Power: 37 dBm 40 dBm 43 dBm 46 dBm

 Capacity Planning

Capacity Planning Summary

▪ Capacity dependant on:
▫ Number of users
▫ Position of users relative to the cell
▫ Services demanded
▫ UE Power Control

▪ Multiple Services Traffic characteristic of UMTS

▪ Pole Capacity, UL Cell Loading and DL Cell Power

▪ Erlangs vs. Number of Terminals

5- UMTS-GSM Co-location Issues

 GSM Co-location

Co-location main Issues

▪ Have to live with existing GSM sites

▪ Have to live with existing antenna heights/azimuths

▪ GSM Interference: GSM1800, GSM1900, etc

▪ Different coverage extents

GSM Co-location

Interference Issues

▪ Interference can occur:

▫ between carriers

▫ between operators

▫ between systems

▪ Co-location of GSM and UMTS sites raises

special problems.
 GSM Co-location

3rd Generation Spectrum Allocations

ITU 1885 IMT-2000 1980 20102025 2110 2170 2200
IMT-2000
IMT-2000
MSS MSS
(WARC-92) Land Mobile Land Mobile Land Mobile

1880 1900 1920 1980 20102025 2110 2170 2200

UMTS UMTS UMTS
Europe GSM 1800 UMTS UMTS UMTS
DECT
Unpaired Paired UL SAT Unpaired Paired DL
SAT
1920 IMT-2000 1980 2110 IMT-2000 2170
Japan
Land Mobile UL Land Mobile DL

1920
IMT-2000 1980 2110 IMT-2000 2170
Korea
Land Mobile UL Land Mobile DL

1850 PCS 1910 1930 1990 2110 2200

PCS
USA UL
Reserved
DL

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 2150 2200

GSM Co-location

Intersystem Interference Issues

▪ Wideband Noise - unwanted emissions from modulation process and
non-linearity of transmitter

▪ Spurious Emissions - Harmonic, Parasitic, Inter-modulation products

▪ Blocking - Transmitter carriers from another system

▪ Inter-modulation Products - Spurious emission, specifications consider

this in particular
▫ Active: non-linearities of active components - can be filtered out by
Cell Equipment
▫ Passive: non-linearities of passive components - cannot be filtered
out by Cell Equipment

▪ Other EMC problems - feeders, antennas, transceivers and receivers

 GSM Co-location

Isolation Requirements
GSM 900 GSM 1800 UMTS
Receiving band 890 – 915 MHz 1710 – 1785 MHz 1920 – 1980 MHz
(UL)
Transmitting band 935 – 960 MHz 1805 – 1880 MHz 2110 – 2170 MHz
(DL)
For example - To prevent UMTS BTS blocking: with transmit power = 43 dBm
Max level of interfering signal for blocking = -15 dBm in UMTS
Isolation required = 58 dB

1805 MHz 1880 MHz 2110 MHz 2170 MHz

1710 MHz 1785 MHz 1920 MHz 1980 MHz

GSM 1800 Rx GSM 1800 Tx UMTS Rx UMTS Rx

GSM Co-location

Typical Isolation Requirements

Isolation Requirements
Specification GSM
Requirements 900/GSM1 UMTS Tx to UMTS Tx to UMTS Tx
GSM 900 GSM 1800 to UMTS
800 to
Rx Rx Rx
UMTS Rx
Blocking
58 dB 40 dB 48 dB 63 dB
isolation

Spurious
emissions/inter
39 dB 34 dB 34 dB 39 dB
-modulation
products
 GSM Co-location

Achieving Isolation Requirements

GSM
▪ Isolation can be provided in a variety of
different ways.
UMTS

▫ By antenna selection and positioning.

GSM

Filter
▫ By filtering out the interfering signal.

UMTS
▫ By using diplexers and triplexers with GSM

shared feeder and multiband antennas.

Diplexer

UMTS

6- Practical Examples
 Practical Examples

Small, isolated cell

▪ Traffic is spread across a small area with low path loss to the base
station. The cell is heavily loaded.

▪ Eb/No and Ec/Io failures are

associated with path loss.

▪ Noise Rise will be the only radio-

related cause of failure.

Practical Examples

Small, isolated cell

▪ Capacity improvements can be achieved by:

▪ Increasing Noise Rise limit.

▪ Reducing target Eb/No on the

uplink and the downlink.

▪ A Mast Head Amplifier will not be

of much use as uplink Eb/No is
not a significant cause of failures.
 Practical Examples

Large, isolated cell

▪ As loading increases, meeting Eb/No targets will be a problem.

▪ Heavy loading will result in Cell Breathing.

▪ Users at a great distance from the

base station will not be able to
make a connection.

▪ Gaps will appear in network

coverage.

Practical Examples

Sectored Sites
▪ Capacity will be affected by overlap of cell coverage areas.

▪ Cell overlap can be controlled by

pointing of antennas.

▪ Combining mechanical and

electrical tilt can control backlobe
radiation.
 Practical Examples

Pilot Pollution
▪ A mobile can be too well served.

▪ It may be impossible to decode a

dominant pilot.

▪ Ec/Io and Eb/No failure due to co-

channel interference.

▪ Scaling pilot power and controlling

radiation patterns is vital.

Practical Examples

Soft Handover

▪ Soft handover regions must be controlled to ensure that capacity is

maximised.

▪ Handover margin can be adjusted.

▪ Pilot powers can be scaled.

▪ Effect on handover region can be

monitored.
 Practical Examples

Dimensioning and Simulating a Network

▪ We are able to approximately dimension a network with a simple

spreadsheet.

▪ This is a simplified network not considering the effects of mapping data

and uneven traffic distribution.

▪ However, it is possible to simulate such a simplified network so that a

clear understanding of the working of the simulator can be established.

▪ The network can then be modified to incorporate practical features such

as terrain features and traffic distribution.

6.1 Simulation Examples

 Practical Examples

The Network and Height Profile

▪ 3dB NR limit

▪ 20m antennas

▪ No MHA, no RX
diversity

▪ 500 Terminals
spread on
Urban and
Suburban areas

Practical Examples

Voice- Reason for Failure

▪ Polygon area
OK as far as
Voice Service

▪ Some NR Limit
reached failures
(aqua pixels)
 Practical Examples

VT- Reason for Failure

▪ Polygon area
shows UL Eb/No
failures

▪ NR Limit
reached failures
(aqua pixels)

▪ Changing
azimuths on site
to the right of
polygon is not an
option due to
existing traffic
restrictions

Practical Examples

VT- NR Limit increased to 6dB

▪ NR limit
parameter
changed from 3
dB to 6 dB on all
cells

▪ NR Limit reached
problem fixed

▪ UL Eb/No
problem still
there
 Practical Examples

Pilot Coverage for Polygon

▪ Looking for the
causes of the
failure, a Pilot
Coverage plot is
done

▪ It can be seen
that Pilot level in
Polygon area is
very low (around
-105 dB)

Practical Examples

Height Profile for Polygon

▪ Looking for the
causes poor
coverage, a
Height Profile is
performed
▪ It can be seen
that there is a
significant
obstruction
preventing a
good UL
 Practical Examples

Height increased to 40m

▪ Trying to fix the
UL Eb/No failure,
antenna height is
increased from
20m to 40m

▪ This decreases
the pathloss,
however, the
original problem
is not solved

▪ No interference
problems are
created either

Practical Examples

Adding MHA and RX Diversity

▪ Another option is
to add an MHA
and RX Diversity

▪ These additions
prove the
solution for most
of the problem
pixels inside the
polygon

▪ Height is still
40m, due to
obstructions and
poor site location
End of course